It was 7:30 at night on Friday when Aberdeen Police received a call to check on a unit at the Hillside Terrace Apartments on West Bel Air Avenue.
They knew something was wrong when they knocked at the door.
"They heard the audible sounds of distress---someone crying in the background," said Sgt. C. William Reiber of the Aberdeen Police Department.
Nothing could prepare them for what they found when they entered the apartment, which had been ransacked.
"They went inside and located a female bound, gagged and suffering from superficial injuries," Reiber said.
Paramedics transported the victim, a 19-year old, for treatment, and investigators later interviewed the woman, who spoke limited English, to learn what had happened.
"Two unknown black males entered the apartment, at which point, there was a struggle. There was a theft. There was an amount of money that was stolen from the apartment, and at that point, there were gaps in the investigation," Reiber said.
Gaps, because police say the victim may have lost consciousness during the ordeal, and because her clothing had been partially torn, they are awaiting tests and acting on the assumption she may have been sexually assaulted.
It remains unclear whether the men targeted the teen.
"That's the question that we're trying to answer right now, because it does appear so random,” Reiber said. “We have no connection between the victim and the suspects. That's why we're really relying on the public. Anyone that's talked after the fact after the robbery, bragged about the situation, came into currency unexplained and lives in that area, because we have a victim and we have no connection that came in. We don't know why that particular victim was chosen."
If you saw anything suspicious in the 700 block of West Bel Air Avenue on Friday or if you have any information, which could help lead investigators to the suspects, you can call the Aberdeen Police Department at 410-272-2121.
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